United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
- United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
-
subsidiary agency created by the
United Nations (
UN) General Assembly in 1949 to provide relief, health, and education services for Palestinians who lost both their homes and means of livelihood during the
Arab-Israeli wars following the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Beginning operations in 1950, UNRWA was originally headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, but was moved to Vienna, Austria, in 1978. In 1996 the General Assembly moved the agency to the
Gaza Strip to demonstrate the Assembly's commitment to the Arab-Israeli peace process. UNRWA's members are Belgium, Egypt, France, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States; the
Palestine Liberation Organization (
PLO) has observer status.
Approximately 500,000 Palestinians originally qualified for relief, but by the late 20th century there were nearly four million registered Palestinian refugees (
refugee), including the children of the original refugees. As the largest UN operation in the Middle East and one of the biggest employers in the region—with service operations in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the
West Bank, and the
Gaza Strip—UNRWA provides camps, food, clothing, schools, vocational training, and health clinics, often working in cooperation with the
World Health Organization (
WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (
UNICEF) (
UNICEF), the
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (
UNESCO) (
UNESCO).
UNRWA is financed by voluntary contributions of member governments. Like its predecessor organization, the UN Relief for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, it was originally designed as a temporary agency, though its mandate has been continuously renewed by the General Assembly. Its chief officer, the commissioner-general—the only leader of a UN agency to report directly to the General Assembly—is appointed by the UN secretary-general with the approval of an Advisory Commission.
Karen Mingst
* * *
Universalium.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East — (UNRWA) is a relief and human development agency, providing education, health care, social services and emergency aid to over four million Palestinian refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.It … Wikipedia
List of Directors and Commissioners-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East — United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a relief and human development agency, providing education, health care, social services and emergency aid to over 4.7 million Palestine refugees living in… … Wikipedia
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees — For UNHRC, see United Nations Human Rights Council. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees … Wikipedia
United Nations System — The United Nations system consists of the United Nations, its subsidiary organs (including the separately administered funds and programs), the specialized agencies, and affiliated organizations. The executive heads of the United Nations system… … Wikipedia
United Nations Office at Geneva — The United Nations Office at Geneva ( UNOG ) is the second biggest of the four major office sites of the United Nations (second to New York). It is located in the Palais des Nations building constructed for the League of Nations between 1929 and… … Wikipedia
United Nations — 1. an international organization, with headquarters in New York City, formed to promote international peace, security, and cooperation under the terms of the charter signed by 51 founding countries in San Francisco in 1945. Abbr.: UN Cf. General… … Universalium
United Nations System by location — While the secretariat of the United Nations is headquartered in New York, its many bodies are situated in other parts of the world, particularly in Europe:Europe* Austria ** Vienna ***Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization Preparatory … Wikipedia
American Near East Refugee Aid — The American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) is a leading American NGO focused on providing humanitarian aid to the Middle East. Since 1968, ANERA has worked in West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon and Jordan. ANERA has programs in health care, education and… … Wikipedia
UNITED NATIONS (UN) — UNITED NATIONS (UN), a worldwide organization of states established in 1945, in the wake of World War II, with a view, primarily, to maintain international peace and security and also bring about cooperation among nations in the economic, social … Encyclopedia of Judaism
List of United Nations-related topics — This is a list of topics related to United Nations.United Nations* United Nations * United Nations System * United Nations Compensation Commission * 1996 shelling of Qana * 2005 World Summit * 2006 United Nations Security Council election * 2010… … Wikipedia
